It’s been one year since George Floyd was killed, one local action that sparked ripple effects domestically and internationally.  

It’s imperative to be proactive in our own ways, continually, to help bring about the change that’s so clearly needed, so clearly necessary. We are beyond rhetoric. Former NBA star John Amaechi articulates this best in this short clip that I urge you to listen to.

Historians are trained to take a step back and look at the larger picture and how it fits into the long-term cycles of change and evolution. As I pointed out to my students this term, there are particular years in which local actions spark the flames of larger tensions that have built. In the process, they launch movements that ricochet around the globe. While messy with lingering repercussions and legacies, such seismic shocks eventually help progress societies forward towards greater freedom, equality, and justice.

Think of 1848, the political revolutions that sparked the push ultimately towards greater democracy and citizenship, fissuring the lingering hold of monarchies on their subjects and eventually paving the way for greater representation in government.

Think of 1918, the revolutions born out of the watershed of four years of total war, vast socio-cultural and scientific progress, and the growing influenza pandemic.

Think of 1968, the youth movement that shook the pillars of societies around the world and, while not necessarily toppling governments, forced a reckoning and reordering of norms.

The year 2020 is part of that continuum, at least from where this historian stands.   

And now, in 2021, it is time to ask ourselves how to contribute to tangible progress. To not just remember George Floyd and the rhetoric surrounding larger issues like social justice, human rights, and democracy. But to be proactive in our own ways.